Region: Sidamo, Takeri Kela
Processing: CO₂ Decaf
Variety: Enat Buna Takeri Kela, 74110, 74112
Altitude: 1,900–2,100 m
Tasting Notes: Black Tea, Toffee, Orange
Coffee production accounts for approximately one-third of Ethiopia’s GDP, yet more than 90% of the people working in the sector do not earn a living income. Bette Buna, a company based in Taferi Kela, is working to help change this reality within its own community.
Bette Buna is an equal-opportunity employer, an approach that remains uncommon in a context where people with disabilities often have limited access to meaningful employment. The company provides jobs for people with disabilities, particularly deaf people, as well as members of their families and others who face barriers to employment, including single mothers. Particular attention is also given to creating working conditions that allow parents to balance employment with childcare.
Traceability is another essential part of Bette Buna’s approach. For each lot, the people involved at every stage of production are identified and documented, from those who pick the coffee cherries to those responsible for processing and preparing the coffee for export.
This particular lot was grown by community farmers in Taferi Kela and processed by Bette Buna at its own washing station. It is a washed Ethiopian coffee. After depulping, the coffee is fermented for 24–36 hours, depending on the temperature, in concrete tanks filled with water. Fermentation takes place in a low-oxygen environment, though it is not completely anaerobic.
The coffee is then washed and sorted to remove floaters and defective beans. It is dried for 8–15 days on raised, covered drying beds, before being rested in the warehouse to stabilize and reach the optimal moisture level.
